Traditionally, it's common for weddings to feature a cocktail hour sometime between the ceremony and the reception. While there's nothing wrong with adopting this idea, it's fun to remember that your wedding is your big day — which means that you can structure things however you want. If you want to offer a non-traditional experience, consider serving cocktails to your guests for an hour or so in advance of the ceremony. Your guests can sip on some beverages and then make their way to their seats. Here are some reasons to offer cocktails before the ceremony.

People Have A Chance To Meet

Having a cocktail hour before your wedding ceremony begins gives guests a chance to meet up with one another rather than just take their seats and wait for the start of the ceremony. When people attend weddings, they're often excited to see people they perhaps haven't seen in years, as well as get to know other individuals whom they've heard about but not yet met. Instead of setting up your day so that people need to wait until after the ceremony for these interactions to take place, offering cocktails at the start of the event will allow people to enjoy some conversation right away.

Late Arrivals Shouldn't Be An Issue

Few things can disrupt a wedding ceremony as much as someone arriving late. The sound of the venue's door opening and the commotion of someone looking for a seat can often be distracting to guests, as well as to the wedding party. When you have a cocktail hour before the ceremony, this will ideally prevent people from entering the ceremony late. Those who don't get to the venue on time will likely arrive while people are still sipping cocktails, which won't be disruptive because of the casual nature of this part of the day.

It May Help You To Relax

While some couples enjoy staying out of sight of their guests until the ceremony begins, this isn't the only option. If you plan a cocktail hour before the ceremony, it will give you a chance to mingle among your guests and relax a little. If you decide that you don't want to consume alcohol before the ceremony, you can sip on some non-alcoholic beverages during this time. If you're nervous about the ceremony, you may find that the casual nature of the cocktail hour can help you to feel more relaxed. Should the bride not want to have people see her wedding dress until the ceremony, she could appear at the first part of the cocktail hour in a casual dress, and then get into her gown toward the end of the cocktail hour.

For more tips, contact a place like Pristine Chapel Lakeside.